The invention relates to an arrangement for slicing a first group of optical waveguides of the glassfibre type with a second similar group, comprising a carrier with fibre-guiding grooves. The invention further relates to a method of manufacturing said carrier.
In known arrangements of the type mentioned in the opening paragraph, the carrier consists of silicon (DE 23 45 273, US 40 46 454, The Western Electric Engineer (Winter 1980) 96-101), gallium phosphide or gallium arsenide (DE 23 45 273), metal (DE 24 49 359, DE 25 57 660, US 40 46 454), synthetic resin (DE 25 29 267, DE 25 57 660), glass (JP 56 113 114) or a sintered body of silicon dioxide and silicoan carbide (JP 59-222 805).
For connecting (splicing) the ends of two or more optical waveguides of the glass-fibre type, in particular quartz-glass fibres, an accurate positioning and fixing of the ends in the relative grooves, troughs, slots or channels is necessary. In the case of silicon carriers the grooves are formed by subjecting silicon single-crystals to a high-accuracy etching process. However, this process is time-consuming and, consequently, costly. The same applies to gallium phosphide and gallium arsenide carriers.
The use of metals as carrier materials has the disadvantage that either their coefficient of expansion is not readily compatible with that of glass or that the manufacture is very difficult.
The use of synthetic resins as carrier materials has the disadvantage that their coefficient of expansion differs from that of glass by several orders of magnitude. Moreover, their resistance to ambient influences is limited.
The use of glass as a carrier material has the disadvantage that the subsequent provision of fibre-guiding grooves takes a lot of effort.
The use of sintered bodies from silicon dioxide and silicon carbide as carriers has the disadvantage that in order to obtain a high geometrical accuracy an intricate process is required which adversely affects the applicability of mass-production techniques.